Of String and Stone
by PlumaLibera
Summary: Twoshot. Wherin Zuko ATTEMPTS to make a betrothal necklace.
1. String

**A/N: Okay, this is a two shot. I got the idea from the story 'components of love' by ****Eiune (it's a really good story by the way). T'pring is my OC. She's Aang's twin sister. I might or might not do the story idea I have in my head about her, depending.**** This is set when the Gaang are adults, and Zuko is in his early twenties. Well enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: Avatar never has, doesn't now, and never will belong to me. Again, I got the idea from Eiune.**

* * *

Chapter One-String 

Zuko stared at the challenging task before him. Yes, he was a talented fire bender, and quite capable with a pair of broad swords (sp?). Yes, he had faced countless assassins and other vicious opponents. Yes, as a teenager, he had helped the avatar and his friends defeat his own father, one of the most talented ('_And ruthless'_, Zuko reminded himself, '_Very, VERY ruthless_') fire benders in the world. But Zuko knew this task was one of the hardest things he had ever attempted. He stared at the seemingly miles of cord he has to weave. And Aang had said it shouldn't take him more than a few hours. Zuko snorted. He would be lucky if it didn't take him more than a few years. As Zuko sat down to work on the intricate knots Aang had showed him (It had looked so_ easy_ when Aang did it.) Zuko remembered the events that got him into this mess.

_Flashback_

_Zuko took a deep breath, stumbling slightly as Sokka gave him a gentle nudge. Zuko tried not to remember all the times he had seen the Avatar in battle. Aang, sensing Zuko's presence looked up from his work._

_"Hey Zuko, just working on the Temple restoration project. Are you feeling alright? You look a bit pale."_

_"I'm feeling fine Aang, it's just that… I've known T'pring for a while now, and I was just wondering if you might let me marry her? Not that we need your permission or anything, NO that's not what I meant, I just mean that she's very independent and…" He decided that it was best if he stopped speaking. Zuko mentally slapped himself. It had sounded so much better when he was talking to the frog._

_ Aang was silent for a moment. Zuko braced himself for the worst. Aang burst out laughing. "THAT'S why you were so worried? Come on Zuko, it's not like I'm like __**Sokka**__ or anything" Sokka gave a cry of indignation. "Of course you can marry T'pring!" His expression became thoughtful. "Though you do need to make her a traditional air nomad betrothal necklace." And with that Aang dragged Zuko off to show him exactly how to go about making said necklace, leaving a very irate Sokka to wonder why he had ever let Katara break that air bending nuisance out of that iceberg in the first place._

_In another part of the Air Temple (where they were staying)_ _handed Zuko a large mountain of books on various weaving techniques. Aang explained that there were two parts to a necklace, the base and the stone. The base symbolized the base of the relationship. The color of the stone was less definite. The color could be symbolic of a trait you liked about said person or it could be a color that invoked happy memories. _

"_The only downside of the whole symbolism thing is that the girl might not appreciate your choice of symbolism." Aang joked. Zuko did not laugh. After a rather awkward silence, Aang suggested that Zuko pick out a pattern. Zuko picked out a very simple (it had __**looked**__ simple) pattern and Aang had quickly demonstrated a few simple techniques. He then led him to one of the more remote rooms in the temple, and sat Zuko down with enough rope to bind a large hippopotamus._

Zuko was interrupted from his musings by the sudden absence of rope from beneath his fingers. After checking the candle clock (AN: from the episode the Northern Air Temple) Zuko had realized Aang was right in saying that it would only take him a few hours. He hadn't thought he could do it that quickly. His elation was short lived however as he looked down at the necklace he created. He didn't think it could even be called a necklace. It was lumpy and uneven, and looked more like a lump of muddy spaghetti more than anything else. Zuko was still staring at his creation when Aang walked into the room. ('_More like floating than walking' _Zuko thought wryly.)

"Nice Necklace" Aang commented.

Zuko snorted for the second time that day.

"Don't worry, it's** supposed** to be like that" Aang reassured his friend.

"You mean it's supposed to look like the person weaving it had no fingers and had to do it with their toes." Zuko questioned.

Aang gave Zuko an exasperated glance. "No, the lumps symbolized the rough spots in your marriage…."

"We're going to have awful lot of rough spots then." Zuko muttered under his breath.

Aang ignored the interruption. "….and the fact that you don't need to have a perfect relationship to make your marriage work. So why don't you put this away somewhere safe and get a good night's sleep. You'll need it 'cause tomorrow we're going to get the stone."

Zuko groaned at the excitement in the airbender's voice. Tomorrow was going to be a **long** day.

* * *

_ I don't know what that thing Zuko was talking to in the episode 'The Western Air Temple' really was, so I just typed in frog.) _

* * *

Do you like it? Do you hate it? It's easy to tell me. All you have to do is press that little blueish/purpleish button down there... 


	2. Stone

**A/N: This is the 2****nd**** part of the story. About T'pring:**

**-has Aang's values, mischief, lightheartedness, and looks. (No she doesn't look like a dude, and yes, she has hair.)**

**-has Iroh's ability to give advice**

**-Has Katara's temper and attitude.**

**-She is the 'Geminitar' (Gemini are twins and are the astronomical sign of people born in may) and can only bend two elements, water and air.**

**Shadoweddrm: I' really glad you liked it : )**

**JustJos16: Thank you. I try with the humor. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Thank you both for your feedback!**

**Disclaimer: What I wrote in the first chapter, 'cause it's to early in the morning to be anything but lazy.**

* * *

Chapter Two – Stone

Zuko was disturbed from the comfort of sleep by what sounded like a dying cat. He sat up and looked around the room, discovering that it was, in fact, not a dying cat, but Aang trying (and failing) to play the sungi (sp?) horn.

Aang stopped "Oh, good, you're awake."

"What are you doing in my room?" Zuko glanced at the candle clock "**At five o'clock in the morning**?!"

"Waking you up" Aang replied as if infiltrating people's quarters and waking them up by massacring their ears was an everyday occurrence.

"No one gets up this early. No one **should** get up this early!"

"I do"

Zuko sighed resignedly, and got out of bed.

Zuko was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as Aang hauled him off to the library. While they were walking, (or in Zuko's case, being dragged.) Aang started to explain the stone to Zuko.

"Unlike the stone of a water tribe necklace, you don't carve anything into the stone, and you try to make your stone as smooth as possible, because that represents a smooth and unblemished marriage. Like I said yesterday, the stone can be symbolizing different things. Also the stone doesn't have to be a circle; it can be any shape you choose."

They reached the library and Aang started showing Zuko books with lots of information on different kinds of stones, and shapes of stones, and anything else you could possibly want to know about stones.

There was only one question on Zuko's mind "Where exactly are we going to get this stone?"

"Oh, there's a quarry not far from the temple I thought we could visit" Aang said casually. "Sound okay?"

"Sounds fine" Zuko replied, glad that it didn't sound dangerous, or in Aang's mind 'exciting'.

Zuko would soon find out how wrong he was.

Zuko started into the dark hole that was supposed to be the quarry. Once again Aang had abandoned him and left his to do a near impossible task on his own. Before he had left Aang had given Zuko a large quantity of thick rope ('_At least I don't have to weave it' _Zuko thought gratefully, remembering his last pitiful attempt at weaving.) and some chisels. Zuko steeled himself for the drop.

Once you got to the bottom Zuko found, it really wasn't that bad. He lit up his had, and stared walking along the crystal encrusted cave (A/N: try saying **that **five times fast!) studying the walls, not really knowing what he was looking for. As he walked along, something caught his eye. It was a pale pink stone.

_Flashback_

_Zuko sat moodily in the far corner of the ballroom, hoping not to be noticed and dragged off to socialize. Apparently, the spirits didn't like him, because he heard someone say his name. He wearily looked up, expecting to see some pesky nobleman's daughter. In stead he was pleasantly surprised to see that the girl standing in front of him was not some rich fangirl, but the young Geminitar instead. _

"_Why are you hiding in this corner Zuko? This is a ball in honor of __**you**__, celebrating __**your **__coronation."_

"_I hate these kinds of things T'pring. They're boring. There's nothing to do"_

"_There's dancing."_

_Zuko looked down at his feet embarrassed "I don't know how to dance." He mumbled._

_T'pring was determined. "Well then I'll just have to teach you then." She pulled him to his feet._

"_The first thing you do is put your hand on my waist."_

_Zuko blushed. He had liked T'pring for a while, and he had to admit she looked very attractive tonight. She was wearing a white, linen, air nomad, dress that ended just below her knees. (it was the summertime and the fire nation had a very hot climate.) It had short 'puffy' sleeves, and a triangular section near the collar had a simple flowery design, and she wore white dancing slippers on her feet . She has a light pink gauzy sash just below the bust line, and her headdress was made up of delicate pink flowers (fake). Though the other ladies were huffing and whispering about her simple outfit, (though probably they thought her tattoos were improper) Zuko thought she looked rather striking._

_She continued to instruct him and finally he got the hang of it. They danced in silence for a while. Feeling the need to break the silence Zuko managed to stutter out "The pink in your hair looks nice." Zuko thought that the pale pink in the midnight black hair looked more than nice, but he was still shy about his feelings. _

"_Thanks." She replied smiling "light pink is my favorite color."_

_They danced the rest of the evening._

Smiling at the memory, Zuko began to cut the stone away from the cave wall.

It was the late afternoon when Zuko arrived back at the temple. He immediately went to Aang's room. Eager to complete the necklace, he knocked on the door. Aang opened it and spotted the hunk of pale pink stone in Zuko's hand.

"Great choice!" He said as he let Zuko inside. "Now you have to shape it. When you do that, it's best not to think about it to much."

Zuko stared at him incredulously but refrained from comment, sitting down at the desk Aang provided. Aang left and let Zuko get to work. Zuko hesitantly picked up the tools and stared to chip away at the stone. As he chipped, he thought about one of the most memorable lessons on bending he had ever recived.

_Flashback_

_Zuko stood in the river, shivering. He wasn't used to practicing in a freezing cold river, without his shirt on. He was about to forget the whole 'learn another element thing when he spotted T'pring. In her underclothes. Zuko got a __**lot **__warmer. _

"_Okay. Today we're going to work on the octopus form." T'pring said as she walked up to him. "The idea behind the octopus form is protecting your center. It's great when you're facing multiple people at the same time." She demonstrated the move. "Now why don't you try it."_

_Zuko took his stance. T'pring came up behind him lowering his arms and moving them closer to the middle of his body. Zuko's face turned tomato red._

_She backed away, taking a stance. She shot multiple ice daggers at him, but he managed to melt them all with his 'tentacles'. T'pring got a mischievous look on her face, deciding to make things a bit more interesting. Unfortunately (for him) Zuko didn't notice. With one hand, she continued shooting daggers, the other wrapping water around Zuko's left ankle. With a slight jerk of her wrist, Zuko lost his balance, lost hold of his 'octopus' (A/N: when I say that I mean that it vanished because he was no longer concentrating on keeping it up, and it had nothing to burn) and tumbled into T'pring, and they both crashed into the water. Aang called for her, so she bended the water out of her clothes and ran off to see what he wanted, leaving Zuko sitting in the middle of the river, sopping wet._

Zuko looked down at the stone in his hands, and smiled. It was a narrow triangle with a rounded bottom. It looked kind of like a flame. Or a drop of water. After drilling a hole in the top, and attaching it to the base, Zuko put it in his beside drawer, where he knew it would be safe until tomorrow. That night, he dreamed of pink raindrops.

* * *

Should I add an epilouge. Only one way to let me know... 


End file.
